1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a digital camera in which a solid state imaging device is used to catch subject light so that an image signal is created.
2. Description of the Related Art
Hitherto, such a type of camera that photography is performed on a silver halide film comes into wide use. And recently, in addition to such a type of camera, there rapidly comes into wide use a digital camera in which a subject is image-formed on a solid state imaging device such as a CCD imaging device or a MOS imaging device to create an image signal.
Also in such a digital camera, there is strongly needed a portability as well as a photographic efficiency, and there is performed such a matter that a image taking lens is collapsed and stored in a thin type of body so that photography of a desired angle of view is possible while a focal length is variable, and the camera is convenient to carry about.
There is widely adopted such a type of image taking lens, which is variable in a focal length, comprising three groups of a front elements lens, a rear elements lens, and a focus lens in the named order with respect to the optical axis direction, wherein the focusing is performed by a movement of the focus lens. Usually, a member for light quantity control, such as a shutter or an aperture, is provided between the front lens and the rear lens or the rear lens and the focus lens.
Hitherto, it is attempted to provide thinness of the lens structure by collapsing an image taking lens so as to narrow intervals between the lenses and intervals between the lens and the shutter as far as possible. However, there is a limit to this in connection with providing thinness.
In order to provide further thinness of the lens structure, it is considered that image taking lenses are collapsed in such a manner any group of the image taking lenses is saved so as to be out of an optical axis. However, there are not proposed matters as to what group is saved to where makes it possible to provide further thinness of the lens structure, or what saving mechanism is provided makes it possible to save the image taking lenses to a predetermined position at the time of the collapse and to properly advance the image taking lenses to an optical axis at the time of the extension, with a simple structure.
Hitherto, it is known that in order to alter the focal length, the rear lens is disposed on an optical axis to form a telephoto lens, and the rear lens is out of the optical axis to form a wide-angle lens (cf. Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette TokuKai Hei. 5-34769). However, this proposal is one for simply altering the focal length, and does not contribute to providing thinness of a camera.
As technology related to the present invention, which will be described later, there is known a shutter using an electrooptical element, such as a liquid crystal shutter using liquid crystal (cf. Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette TokuKai Hei. 9-163240, and Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette TokuKai 2001-61165), and a PLZ shutter using a deflection plate (cf. Japanese Patent Application Laid Open Gazette TokuKai Hei. 8-304875).